Powerful storm sparks Buckhead house fire; downed trees snarl traffic

A powerful storm hit Buckhead Wednesday afternoon, with strong winds and lightning. At 1:30, Georgia Power reported 544 active outages affecting 52,862 customers. By 5 p.m., that number was down to less than 13,000.

Fox5 News reported that Atlanta firefighters were called to a home on Ridgewood Road in Buckhead, where flames were shooting through the roof. Fire officials say it was likely caused by lightning.

Photo of shattered window at 3630 Peachtree.

When firefighters arrived at the home, flames and heavy smoke were coming from the attic. Fox5 said firefighters tried to knock down the flames to get inside to see if anyone was trapped. Just as they determined it was all clear, the roof started to cave in. “The Battalion Chief saw it was about to happen and moved everyone out of the home and off the roof to make sure all the firefighters were safe,” said Sgt. Cortez Stafford, Public Information Officer with Atlanta Fire Rescue.

Many of those unlucky enough to be on the roads during the storm ended up in traffic jams caused by downed trees. A large tree fell onto West Paces Ferry Road near the governor’s mansion, and another fell onto Peachtree Road between Maple Drive and Shadowlawn Avenue.

The tree near Peachtree Road United Methodist Church fell onto the power lines along the north side of Peachtree Road. Police blocked off the southbound lanes of Peachtree Road while several Georgia Power trucks blocked the road as their crews worked to fix the downed power lines. Police diverted all southbound Peachtree Road traffic onto Maple Drive until work was completed.

A photo posted on Twitter showed a window at 3630 Peachtree (The Ritz Carlton Residences) shattered by an awning that had been blown loose.